ShinRa Dog
by Exxal
Summary: Reno is captured by an anti-ShinRa group. After being a prisoner for months, he is at last rescued by his fellow Turks, but torture has left him broken and scarred. This is a pretty violent story, even for me. Read at your own risk. M/M. Rape.*
1. Chapter 1

Firstly, I will say this: Do not continue reading if you are not prepared for swearing, blood, m/m rape, torture, etc etc. This is a fairly violent and depressing story.

For those who haven't gone away to find something more cheery, I'd like to say that I hope you enjoy the fic, and request that you please review if you have the time. Constructive comments, sans flames, are always appreciated.

Last thing, I promise. I wanted to let you all know that I'm not going to guarantee an ending to this story. I'm an angst-addict, so when I get bored, I'll let you know I'm gonna take a break. I will likely come back and finish later, but in case I don't, I didn't want you to be surprised.

Onward to the story.

Chapter One

"RENO!"

At the sound of Tseng's enraged yell, Rude glanced up from the report he was writing, and was just in time to see Reno sprint into his office. Reno slammed the door behind him.

"Yo, Rude."

"What did you do now?"

Reno grinned, but before he could reply, the door crashed open. Tseng was standing there. He looked genuinely angry, but that was nothing new. Rude set down his pen.

"This is the last straw, Reno!" Tseng yelled. _"The last straw!"_

Reno kept his grin, but he looked just a bit unnerved. Rude didn't blame him; it wasn't often that Tseng yelled like this.

"Calm down, boss-man. It was just a little smoke bomb. If you throw open a window you'll be able see inside your office in a day or two."

It wasn't one of Reno's more inventive or destructive pranks, but Rude knew that Tseng had been running himself ragged lately. With Neo-ShinRa on the rise, it was the Turks' job to keep the president safe, and therefore, Tseng's job.

"Save it, Reno." Tseng was still yelling. "Go and finish your mission today, and then consider yourself suspended indefinitely."

Tseng stomped away. Rude looked over at Reno, who was still gaping in shock at the empty doorway.

"Suspended?" Reno repeated weakly. "Indefinitely?"

It was harsh. Too harsh. "He's just upset," Rude assured him. "He'll calm down by the time you get back."

Reno tried to smile. "Yeah, you're right." He walked over to the door. "See ya when I get back, partner."

Rude went back to his paperwork. He didn't know that would be the last time he saw Reno. If he did, he would have said goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2

Uneventful [and short] first chapter, I know, but it will get more exciting now. We're just one chapter away from the actual torture and icky stuff, so be re-warned!

Thanks to Thesheep for the review. Glad to know I'm not the only one who likes torture stories. ^^

Chapter Two

Tseng was deep in thought when a knock on his office door startled him back to reality.

"Come in," he called. The door opened, and Elena walked over to his desk. "Well? Did you find anything?"

"No, sir," Elena reported solemnly. Tseng sat back in his chair.

"I see." He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Elena cleared her throat quietly.

"Sir...it's been three months."

"I am aware of that," Tseng snapped. He'd been short-tempered ever since Reno was captured by the so-called Neo-AVALANCHE. That was the day the group announced their presence to the world and declared their mission: To destroy Neo-ShinRa at any costs.

And they had taken Reno. Reno, who'd been out on a simple scouting mission. Reno, who Tseng was going to tell he'd changed his mind about the suspension. Reno, who was probably, by now, dead.

"I won't give up on him, Elena," Tseng said, more gently. "Just like I wouldn't give up on you, or Rude."

"Yes, sir." Elena was always so professional. When she wasn't making mistakes. "But I wasn't telling you to give up. I was just going to suggest that it may be time we took drastic measures."

"Drastic measures?" Tseng opened his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"We need to take a risk; let Neo-AVALANCHE capture someone with a tracking device hidden on them, and then follow them to their base."

Tseng narrowed his eyes. "Someone?"

"Me."

Tseng shook his head. "Elena, no."

"It's the only way."

"What makes you think they won't just kill you?"

Elena's lips twitched. "That's the risk."

Tseng was quiet for a long time. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. But...what if it worked? What if it led them to Neo-AVALANCHE? To Reno?

"Fine," he said at last. "But this had better work. If you get yourself killed, I'm going to be very aggravated."

"It will, and I won't. You can count on me, sir."

Tseng sighed.

xxx

The ruins of the Sector 7 slums were definitely creepy, Elena decided as she wandered past twisted hunks of metal and a few scattered bones. It was the last place on the planet she wanted to be, but it was also the last place on the planet where anyone had seen Reno.

Regardless of how creepy it was, the remains of Sector 7 were the perfect place for Neo-AVALANCHE to have their base. The wasteland was vast and labyrinthine. Elena had been there only five minutes, and she was already completely disoriented.

Was that a footstep?

Elena whirled around, gun at the ready, but there was no one there. She heard another noise, again from behind her. She whipped towards it. Again, nothing.

_These guys are good,_ she thought. _Well, duh. They'd have to be to get Reno._

Elena holstered her gun and kept on walking, picking her way through the rubble. She had all of her senses on high-alert, but it was hard to concentrate since all of her senses were screaming at her to get the hell out of there. Elena thought about finding a defensive position, but had to remind herself that she was _trying_ to get captured.

Reluctantly, she holstered her gun. She had promised Tseng it would work; now she just had to hope that these guys weren't going to kill her instead.

A moment later, there was a small noise. Like a candle going out. Elena felt her vision fading, and before she could pull the dart out of her neck, her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground.

Men wearing black instantly rushed out of hiding. One of them opened Elena's mouth and felt her teeth. At last, he found the tracking device she had plastered to her right molar, and he removed it.

One big boot crushed the tracker into a hundred pieces.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, this is where it gets interesting. I should mention that my inspiration for this story is Kau from the anime Togainu no Chi. Speaking of which, Togainu no Chi is a wonderful show. I highly recommend it. I apologize for any spelling errors and/or grammatical mistakes. I admit that I'm not putting a great deal of effort into writing this. ^^

XxDarkAssassinxx-I'm glad you're giving this a chance. I hope your interest was not misplaced.

Anon-Your enthusiasm made me smile. I'll try to keep on updating as often as I have been.

Chapter Three

Back at the Neo-ShinRa building, the little blip that was Elena vanished off the screen. Tseng frantically tapped at the keyboard, but deep down he knew it wasn't a technical error. Five minutes later, he and Rude were on their way to Sector 7.

It was hard not to call out Elena's name as he and Rude, guns at the ready, walked into what was almost certainly a trap. They found Elena's tracking device, lying in pieces on the ground, but no Elena. This wasn't part of the plan.

Tseng crouched close to the ground and studied it. He could see footprints, and where there had been a body, but there was no blood. He followed the footprints a little ways, but then whoever had taken Elena must have climbed onto a piece of concrete, and the trail was gone.

"Dammit," Tseng cursed.

Rude was standing at his shoulder. Tseng glanced over at him and saw steely determination behind those dark sunglasses.

This was not over.

xxx

At first, Elena thought she was back at the Turks' apartment she shared with Tseng, Reno, and Rude. She could have sworn she smelled Tseng brewing coffee, but it was just a little too bitter. Too metallic. Rude was working out; she could hear him hitting that punching bag in the corner.

Suddenly, the sound of punching gave way to groans and a lewd slapping noise. Flesh on flesh. _Reno's watching porn again,_ Elena thought drowsily.

But then she opened her eyes, and her vision was shattered.

She was in a dank, dirty basement lit only by a few weak threads of sunlight and a flashlight that was lying abandoned on the floor. Elena moved a little, and found that her hands and feet were bound with chains.

It worked! She mentally cheered to herself. She had been captured by Neo-AVALANCHE, as planned. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't alone.

There were two men. One was standing in the doorway, and the other was kneeling and bucking over...something on the ground. The light was dim, and it took Elena a while to realize that the kneeling man was actually engaged in sex with a third person. She stared as the kneeling man let out a cry, and then got to his feet. The person he had been with collapsed. Elena could see there were dark stains on the floor. Blood.

"Don't look now, Keyl," the man at the door said. "But it looks like you had an audience."

The other man, Keyl, looked over at Elena. She shrank back a little, then set her jaw and looked him in the eye. Keyl laughed.

"Like what you see?"

Elena said nothing. Keyl reached out to brush a bit of her hair out of her face, and she tried to bite him. The man at the door laughed.

"She's a fiesty one!"

"Tch! This isn't nothing compared to our little dog over there." Keyl gestured to the person lying on the floor. "Mark my words, she'll warm up to me soon enough, just like he did."

"Yeah yeah. Now come on, we've got work to do!"

Keyl was almost at the door when Elena found her voice again.

"Wait!" she called. "Are you Neo-AVALANCHE?"

Other than a few rude chuckles, she got no answer. The door slammed shut. Elena sighed and leaned back against the wall. Across the room, there was a soft, pained whimper. She snapped her head in its direction and saw the person, the "dog", trying and failing to lift himself off the ground.

He was hurt badly, but he finally managed to drag himself over to the corner. There, he collapsed again and was still. And quiet.

Elena felt sick. The light was bad, and his ponytail was gone, and his suit was ripped and torn, but she knew.

The "dog" was Reno.


	4. Chapter 4

I was just gonna write a quick little update before work, but it ended up being a lot longer than I expected, which I suppose is a good thing. I feel obliged to mention that this chapter is quite possibly the most gory one, so as always, read at your own risk.

xxDarkAssassinxx-Yeah, no kidding. :[

Chapter Four

Elena tried to talk to him, but Reno didn't respond. She wasn't sure if he was asleep or just ignoring her. Either way, Elena knew she was on her own when it came to escape plans. It had taken her all of two seconds to realize that the tracker was gone, which meant that unless there was a fucking miracle, there was no way that Tseng or Rude were going to sweep in and save them. Not this time.

So Elena started pulling at her chains, trying to find a weak spot that didn't exist, and she thought about how much force it would take to break down the solid steel door. Even if she somehow managed to do both those impossible things, there was still the small matter of taking on all of Neo-AVALANCHE with no weapons while carrying Reno's dead weight.

On the second day as a prisoner, she began to lose hope. Reno hadn't been able to escape, and if he couldn't do it, then a rookie like her didn't have a snowball's chance.

Elena slumped back against the wall and tried to think of anything other than food and Reno. The men hadn't come back since that day, and she was starving. And if she was starving, then Reno had to be in agony. For as long as she'd been a Turk, she'd never known him to go more than a few hours without food.

Against her better judgement, Elena glanced over at him yet again. He was still just lying there. Every so often, Elena would hear a sound from his dark corner; a muffled sob, or a very quiet whine; but he hadn't moved in two days.

Suddenly, the steel door opened. Elena tried to jump to her feet, but her chains held her down. Two men walked inside. One was Keyl, the other was a stranger. Keyl gave her one sneering look, but then they ignored her and advanced on Reno. The yelp of pain that Reno made when Keyl kicked him sent shivers down Elena's spine.

Elena tried to curse and yell, but nothing she said stopped them. The men dragged Reno from his corner by his hair and then tore at his scraps of clothing. It scared Elena that Reno didn't fight back. He acted like this was nothing unusual...could it be he was just going to take this abuse?

Apparently so. Within moments, Keyl had thrust into Reno from behind. When Reno screamed, the other man forced himself into Reno's mouth. Reno gagged, and the man grabbed a fistful of his hair and bucked forward, ramming himself deep into Reno's throat.

As Reno choked and tears streamed unchecked down his gaunt face, Elena started to cry. Reno's thin, thin body seemed like it would to break in two as the men roughly had their way with him.

After a few long minutes, the man in Reno's mouth came loudly. Reno was made to gulp down the cum as the man rode out the orgasm, then Reno went limp, his eyes rolling back in his head. He hadn't had air since the men started...was he unconscious? Playing dead? _Really_ Dead?

Keyl grunted in annoyance.

"Hold up his hips," he ordered the other man. "I'm close."

The other man grinned and obliged. Keyl pounded into Reno a few more times, then he groaned as he came. He and the other man pulled out of Reno, and the Turk just crumpled to the floor. Blood and semen ran out of his mouth and nose. His eyes were half-lidded and glassy and he wasn't breathing.

"Looks like the fun's over," the other man observed. Keyl laughed.

"Hardly." A sharp kick to Reno's torso did it. Semen flew past his lips, and Reno retched violently. Red and milky-white poured onto the floor. Keyl grinned at him and gave him a pat him on the head. "Good dog."

Elena almost vomited herself when Reno whined and tilted his head so the man could scratch him behind the ears. _What the hell had they done to him?_

Keyl stopped patting Reno's head and forced Reno to look at him. "Are you hungry, dog?"

Reno's hands flew to his stomach and he gave a small, keening whimper. Keyl unzipped his pants.

"Then you have to work for it."

Elena turned away as Reno took out Keyl's dick and began to suck on it. She couldn't bear to see anymore; that didn't stop her from hearing it, though. Elena wondered if it would have been worse to find Reno–strong, joking Reno–dead, than to find he had been reduced to this..._shell._ At last, it was over. Elena heard footsteps, then she heard the steel door slam shut, closely followed by the sound of Reno throwing up again.

But then, as soon as the door had closed, it was open again. The man who'd been guarding the door on Elena's first day walked in with a can of chopped Chocobo meat. He ignored Elena and walked over to Reno's prone form.

"Here ya go, dog," he said, and he dumped the meat onto the floor. Elena watched in mixed disgust and pity as Reno struggled to his hands and knees and began to eat without shame. He didn't use his hands; he just dug in. When the meager food was gone, Reno licked at the floor, then he shuffled into his corner and curled into a tight, shivering ball.

"Reno."

No response.

"Reno!"

Again, nothing. Elena bit her lip.

"...Dog?"

Reno weakly turned his head and looked at her. It was such a shock that Elena just stared at him. At last, she recovered enough to say:

"Come here...please?"

Instantly, Reno staggered up and began to crawl over to her. The closer he got, the more of his injuries Elena could see, and the more her heart filled with despair. His face was covered with so many cuts and bruises, and there was blood crusted in his butchered red hair and all over his suit.

Reno stopped crawling when he was halfway across the room, and then he gingerly sat back on his haunches. Elena noticed for the first time that there was a thick leather collar around his neck. The skin around the collar had become chafed and raw, and trickles of dry blood ran down from where it had broken the skin.

"Oh, Reno," Elena all but sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry."

Reno just looked blearily at her. His hair hung into his dull, blue-green eyes, and his skeletal chest heaved with each weak breath. He looked so broken and pathetic that Elena broke into tears.

"We tried to find you, Reno," she choked out. "We never stopped looking. Tseng and Rude are still out there. You remember Rude, right? Rude? He's your best friend."

Reno's eyes stayed blank and empty, but this time, Elena thought he twitched a little at the sound of his name. She wiped her tears and tried to smile.

"They're going to find us," she told him. "It's all going to be okay. They're going to find us. It's all going to be okay..."

Long after Reno went back to huddle in the corner, Elena kept on repeating those two sentences to herself. Maybe if she said them enough times, they would become true.


	5. Chapter 5

I will take advantage of my "oh-look-at-this-shiny-new-story" momentum and write one more chapter tonight. I'm still not quite sure where this is going, but what the heck. As always, thank you for the wonderful reviews.

Thesheep-I thought the same thing as I wrote it. Poor ponytail. I'm so glad that you enjoyed my updates. I promise I will try to keep on posting as frequently.

xxDarkAssassinxx-Yes, Reno's been through a lot in this fic so far, the poor guy. I'm not thrilled with how much I've messed him up, but it's what I'm good at. Oh well.

Chapter Five

Somehow, in spite of the horrible situation she was in, Elena fell asleep, but she didn't know it until she was woken up by the sound of coughing. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and blinked around the basement. She gasped when she found Reno bracing himself off the floor with his arms, too weak to lift himself all the way off the ground. Even from across the room, she could tell. He was spitting up mouthfuls of blood.

"Reno? What's happening? Are you okay?"

He couldn't respond, or maybe he just wouldn't. As Elena watched, Reno trembled in agony and puked up a fresh wave of blood. She gnawed on her lower lip. This wasn't good. Reno was in bad shape...would he last until Tseng and Rude rescued them?

And what about Tseng and Rude? The tracker had been taken away; was it destroyed? What if there was no rescue team on the way?

Elena strained against her chains in despair. Across the room, Reno curled forward, moving one arm to hug his stomach. Blood dribbled from his chin. He looked up at Elena and whined, begging her with sad eyes.

"They others will save us," she assured him. "And when they do, we'll all go home, okay?"

Reno gave a weak hiccup. If not for the mournful look on his face, Elena might have mistaken it for a laugh.

xxx

A week went by in a blur. The men came back and did horrible things to Reno, but they never tried to touch her. Elena knew they were waiting for her to get weak. That's why she wasn't given food. And it was working. Every few days, Reno would beg for a can of that greasy Chocobo meat, but he didn't eat it. Elena knew he was just begging out of habit.

Time was running out, for both of them. Elena tried talking to Reno a few more times, but he didn't answer to his own name or make any sign that he understood what she said. She kept on with it, though, just to fill the silence. She stopped only when she heard the sound she hated most in the world. The sound of the door opening. Elena's breath caught when Keyl and another man came right over to her.

"I bet you're a real good fuck, Turk bitch," Keyl said. "Let's see if I'm right."

His casual tone didn't chill Elena half as much as what he'd said. She closed her eyes and thrashed feebly as hands grabbed and clawed at her clothes and hair.

"Reno, help!" Elena screamed. "Help!"

She didn't expect anything to happen, but then there was a yell and a grunt of pain. The hands went away, and Elena opened her eyes to find that Reno had tackled Keyl to the ground and sunk his teeth into the man's arm.

"Filthy dog!" Keyl cursed. He pried Reno's jaws away from his arm, then he kicked him off. Reno tumbled to the floor, his energy spent. Keyl staggered to his feet and pulled a sword from his belt. "I'll teach you not to attack your master!"

Keyl slashed the sword across Reno's body. Elena felt something warm splash onto her face, and she distantly realized it was blood. Reno's blood.

Reno fell back to the ground, too weak to reach for the deep cut in the side of his ribcage. Keyl reached down and seized Reno's hair, dragging him off the floor only so he could throw him across the room. Reno hit the wall with a sickening thud, then he hit the floor. Elena heard bones crack, and she heard the other man laughing.

"No!" she shouted. "Stop it!"

Keyl didn't even look at her. He walked over to Reno and rained punches and kicks down on him. Reno's cries of pain echoed off the bare walls.

"Stop! Please, stop! You're killing him!"

Keyl paused at that and glanced over his shoulder at Elena. She didn't like that vicious grin.

"That's a good idea, bitch," he said. "S'not like we need him anymore; we've got you!"

Elena's eyes widened as she realized what Keyl had said. The man turned back and lifted his sword. The sword was pointing down at Reno, who couldn't see through the blood and was struggling to breathe.

"Time to put you to sleep," Keyl said.

The sword fell. It went straight into Reno's body, then into the floor below.

"No!" Elena screamed. She fought with all of her strength to get free, to help Reno. There was more laughter, then the hands were back. Elena couldn't get free. The hands were holding her down, and they were about to rip off her pants.

Two quick gunshots.

Everything suddenly stopped. Elena sobbed in relief as the hands fell away, but then they were back. She began to fight again until she heard a familiar voice.

"Elena, calm down! It's me!"

"Tseng?" Elena opened her eyes and saw him. He was there. He was real. She felt tears coursing down her cheeks. "Thank god," she sobbed.

Tseng undid the chains and let Elena hug him tightly until she composed herself. It only took a few seconds, then she jerked out of his grasp.

"Reno!"

Elena lurched to her feet and ran across the room. Rude was already kneeling there, and Elena fell to her knees beside him and grabbed one of Reno's bloody hands.

It was bad. Keyl's sword had missed Reno's heart and gone through his right lung. Reno was breathing in fitful little wheezes and gasps, and his eyes were barely open. He was looking fearfully between Rude and Tseng.

"Sword's got to come out," Rude said gruffly.

Tseng had realized the same thing. He reached forward to grab the hilt of the sword, but Reno tried to move away from him. The sword dragged through his body, sending fresh blood bubbling to the surface.

"Easy, Reno. Just take it easy." Tseng tried to reach for the sword again, but with the same effect. Reno let out a hoarse cry and blood sprayed over his lips. Tseng backed away quickly. "It's no use."

"Let me try," Elena said. She didn't know what made her think that Reno would let her help him, but she was right. He lay still as she grasped the hilt of the sword and, bracing herself for his terrible scream of pain, pulled.

But Reno didn't scream. He shivered, gave a little moan, then passed out. Rude lifted him gently from the ground. Tseng led the way out out of the basement.


	6. Chapter 6

Happy New Year! Let's all make a bunch of resolutions that will make us better people until we get bored and revert to our old ways.

Now for some angst. :3

xxDarkAssassinxx-Is it? Is it really?:]

Thesheep-I know! I was really glad he did, too. I was worried he was just going to let Elena get molested, but it seems he wasn't quite as broken as I thought! I'm glad. ^^

Chapter Six

Elena sighed in bliss. She'd gotten out of the hospital a few hours earlier and was now back at the Turk apartment, enjoying a streaming hot shower. It felt so damn good to get all of that grime and fear off her skin.

She reached up and scrubbed her face, and felt her heart stop when she saw her hands were pink with watery blood. She felt frantically for a wound before she remember that it wasn't her blood. It was Reno's.

Suddenly, the shower wasn't so nice.

Elena somberly rinsed her hands and then turned off the water. Reno was still in the hospital. He'd been operated on so much already, but he had another surgery tomorrow. The doctor said there was internal bleeding, and that Reno was suffering fevers from various infections. The huge hole in his lung, not to mention severe malnourishment and dehydration, meant he was going to be in the hospital for a very long time.

The worst part was that Reno hadn't woken up yet. Not once. Still, Elena wanted to be there, like he'd been for her. She found it hard to believe that he'd saved her. As far as she knew, Reno didn't even remember who she was.

But there was no time to visit. Tseng had them all working around the clock. It was hard work, trying to convince the public that the explosion from Sector 7 hadn't been their fault. Especially since it had been. Thanks to one of Rude's bombs, Neo-AVALANCHE's headquarters was leveled. Two, perhaps three guys had escaped, but Tseng was on it. That meant they wouldn't be a problem for very long.

Elena's phone rang. Speak of the devil. She flipped it open.

"Reno's awake."

Those two words made her heart stop. Elena shut the phone and ran out the door.

xxx

There was no pain.

Dog opened his eyes a little, then shut them. It was bright and everything smelled like chemicals. He was so confused.

After a few moments, Dog's confusion turned to fear when he realized he was lying on a bed. He wasn't allowed on a bed; bed was a place for masters.

He struggled weakly to sit up. If Master caught him...well, he didn't want to think about it.

"Easy, Reno."

The gentle yet firm touch on his shoulder made Dog flinch. He looked up and saw a man. Dog began to tremble. Now the pain would come back.

Tseng noticed him shaking, and let go. "I won't hurt you," he said. "How are you feeling?"

Dog didn't answer. He didn't believe this man, just like he had stopped believing the other men. This man was just being nice to him for now, so that he when he let his guard down, he could hurt him. Dog remembered the men doing the same thing to him. Over and over. Be nice, then hurt. Nice, then hurt. Each time, it hurt just a bit more.

And any moment the same thing would happen. Dog would have bet his life in it. Not that he cared much for living anymore. This man would hurt him. Just like Master had.

Suddenly, Dog smelled food. There was a tray of it on the table beside the bed. Tseng noticed where he was looking.

"Are you hungry?"

Dog nodded weakly. He was more than just hungry; he was starving. But he would have to 'work for it.' That was how things were. He wouldn't get any food otherwise.

To his surprise, the man offered him the tray, but Dog knew better than to think he was free to eat. He knew this trick. Master had done this to him far too often. He would be given food, but he couldn't eat it until he was told. If he did, the pain would be worse. Much worse.

So Dog forced himself not to start gulping down the food. He looked at the man hopefully, but it was no use. The man was not Master.

He had been trained to only obey Master.


	7. Chapter 7

Wow. Today was...wow. Bad start to a new year. But that means it can only get better, right? As always, thanks for reading, and thanks for the lovely reviews.

Thesheep-Thanks! I honestly like writing first-person Reno quite a bit. I'm glad you like the story so far. ^^

Chapter Seven

Tseng was puzzled. He could tell that Reno wanted to eat, but for some reason, was restraining himself. Before he could ask about it, Elena arrived.

"Oh, Reno!" Elena cried out. She was being strangely unprofessional as she ran into the room and threw her arms around Reno's neck. And, much to Tseng's shock, Reno let her.

Eventually, Elena let go of Reno and stepped back. She frowned at the untouched food.

"Why hasn't he eaten?"

Tseng shrugged. "No idea."

Elena picked up the tray of food and sat down on the edge of the bed with it on her lap. She picked up a chicken finger. "It's okay," she said. "You don't have to...do anything. You can eat."

Reno visibly hesitated. Elena could tell he was concerned, and she knew why.

"You don't have to worry. We killed the men. They can't hurt you anymore."

Reno sat up so fast that Elena jumped and dropped the chicken finger, which landed on the floor. He was breathing heavily.

"Reno? What's wrong?"

Without warning, and without answering, Reno fainted.

xxx

_Dead? Master was dead?_

xxx

Dog dreamed he was back in the basement. Master was mashing his lips against his, forcing his tongue into Dog's bloody mouth. Dog tore away with a rough cry that turned into a gasp as Master punched him in the stomach. Soon, he was straddled and pinned by the weight of the Master's body, his hands locked over his head in an iron grip.

"Get _off_ me, you sick son of a–"

That voice seemed familiar...but Dog couldn't remember. Master smothered him with another bruising, suffocating kiss. Dog bit and shouted and wriggled as Master's free hand slid down his chest, over his stomach, to the front of his pants. Master undid them easily and pushed them down to Dog's knees.

Dog heard a furious scream, and he was punched in the face over and over until he was too stunned to fight; too stunned to think. Master flipped him over and, after a moment, forced himself inside Dog with a thick, guttural moan.

A howl of pain tore itself from his throat, but Dog muffled it by burying his face in the ground. Master began to thrust in and out, giving gasps of delight and digging his nails into Dog's skin, scraping the bone. Dog bared his teeth in a silent hell as the Master moved faster and the pain intensified.

Dog bit his lip, felt the flesh give way under his teeth, and kept biting as blood trickled down his chin.

He woken up a moment later to someone shaking him. He instinctively jumped and tried to squirm away, but then he saw it was that girl. Elena. That was what the other man called her.

Dog liked Elena. She spoke to him gently, and her hands didn't hurt.

But she wasn't Master. Master had abandoned him.

Dog let her rub his back for a moment.

"You were crying," she said softly. "Was it a bad dream?"

So that's why his face was wet.

"What happened?"

It was that man again. Elena called him Sung.

"A nightmare," Elena explained. She daubed at his face with her sleeve. Dog sat still, like a statue, unflinching. Sung watched closely.

"Elena, I need to talk to you."

Dog laid back down as Elena and Sung went into the hall to talk. Elena shut the door behind her, but it didn't click. The door inched open just a sliver. It was enough for Dog to hear everything they were saying.

"Elena, the doctor said that Reno can leave the hospital in a few days."

"That's great!" A pause. "Why do I get the feeling that this isn't great?"

"Elena." Sung sure was saying her name a lot. "He can't be a Turk."

Dog was distantly aware of Elena yelling, but he couldn't tell what she was saying. He knew that they were talking about him, and he felt chilled. Why did what Sung said scare him so much?

"YOU CAN'T PUT HIM IN A MADHOUSE."

Elena was...yelling at Sung?

"If he doesn't get any better soon, we have no other choice."

"Sung, you always said we were family. We can't do that to him. He needs us."

Sung sighed. Elena pressed on.

"What if he comes home for a week? Just one week?"

There was a long moment of silence. "One week. If Reno doesn't start acting like his old self, I'm going to have him admitted."

"Thank you, Sung."

Visiting hours were almost over anyway, so Sung and Elena just went home, leaving Dog to think about what he'd just heard.

He didn't want to be sent away. He wanted to stay with Elena.

Dog rolled over, mindful of the intravenous needle in his arm, and hugged his body. Would Sung really do that? Of course he would. But Dog couldn't bear it if he were abandoned by anyone else.

So he would have to 'get better.' That was the problem, wasn't it, since Dog had no idea what was wrong. One thing was certain, however. Sung determined his fate. Sung had the power to hurt him. That made Sung his new Master.

Dog felt a little less unhappy. Now that he knew his place, he surely could show Sung that he was 'better.' He would follow every order, obey Sung's every whim.

And from now on, he would go by the name Sung had given him. Reno.

Reno yawned, hugged his body even more tightly, and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that I'm starting to get bored with this story. I've done everything I can think to stay interested, but it's a no-go. This means that means I will not be updating as often as I have been. The good news is that I managed to finish one more update for you guys.

Thesheep-To answer your question: Reno doesn't know how Tseng's name is spelled, so he just thinks it's spelled how it sounds. I apologize for the confusion. ^^

xxDarkAssassinxx-I try. Thanks for the review!

Chapter Eight

It was past noon before Tseng was able to get away from Neo-ShinRa to visit Reno, and then it was only because Rude offered to take on his share of the paperwork. On the way to the hospital, Tseng wondered why Rude hadn't gone to see Reno yet. He would ask Elena. She would be arriving at the hospital when she was done with her mission.

Tseng sighed as he remembered what he had promised her. While it was true that in the past Reno had made it through some pretty grim situations and bounced back like nothing had happened, Tseng didn't think he would do that this time.

But deep down, Tseng hoped he was wrong.

When he reached Reno's room, Tseng didn't go in immediately. He stopped outside and just stood there, crushing down the hope that he would walk into the room and see Reno the Turk. This Reno wasn't going to give him an easy grin and whine about how bored he was, or how the nurses weren't hot enough. This Reno was broken.

Tseng was ready. He opened the door, and walked into the room. Reno was awake.

Tseng walked over and sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Hello, Reno," he said. "How are you feeling today?"

He didn't expect a response, but Reno looked right at him...and smiled.

Tseng blinked in shock. Ever since Reno had been found, he had basically ignored everyone and everything. What was the cause for this sudden breakthrough? Could it be...?

Before Tseng could even finish that thought, he realized a logical explanation, and he sighed. He had asked the doctor to inform him if he was going to increase Reno's medication. "Good. Elena will be here later."

Reno continued to smile, seeming unaffected by the words, even though Tseng knew he'd nearly died to save Elena when they were captured by Neo-AVALANCHE.

Tseng didn't know what to say or do. Now that Reno was responding, he couldn't very well just sit there, and with Reno being so remote lately, he hadn't thought to prepare any small-talk. Fortunately, Tseng's eyes landed on a tray of food on the table. Whether it was the same tray as before, of a different one, he figured Reno wouldn't mind.

"Would you like some food?"

Like yesterday, a flicker of emotion crossed Reno's face. A shadow. Tseng knew what was wrong. He had read Elena's report this morning.

Tseng quickly picked up the tray and held it out to Reno.

"It's okay," he said. "Just eat it."

Reno sat up, slowly and painfully, and took the tray. It was too heavy for him; his arms shook as he lifted the whole thing up to his mouth so he could take a small bite of a chicken.

"You can use your hands."

Reno looked over at Tseng in surprise, then he looked back at the food, considering. After a moment, he set the tray on his lap and delicately took a piece of chicken in his fingers.

Tseng watched in amazement as Reno finished chewing and took another bite. It was like he was a completely different person from yesterday. What could have brought on this sudden change?

And then Tseng knew.

"Reno, did you hear me and Elena talking the other day?"

Reno dropped the chicken he'd been holding onto the tray and seemed to shrink. He braced himself, expecting to be hit.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," Tseng promised hastily. "I just want to know."

Reno clearly didn't believe him, but he looked guiltily at Tseng and nodded.

"I see." That explained it. "You don't want to be sent away."

Reno shook his head furiously and whined. It was really unsettling how much he sounded like a real dog.

"Try to understand, Reno. You can't be a Turk anymore. It wouldn't be fair to expect that of you."

Another whine.

"You can't even talk!" Tseng said, exasperated. "You want to be a Turk and protect the president, but you couldn't even protect yourself!"

That was uncalled for. Tseng felt embarrassed and ashamed the moment the words left his mouth. Reno hung his head.

"I...can talk."

Tseng could hardly believe his ears. He was so relieved to hear Reno's voice, no matter how coarse it was from neglect. "Then why didn't you before?"

Reno mumbled something that Tseng couldn't hear.

"What?"

"Master said...he said I shouldn't open my mouth, unless..."

Reno stopped and shuddered. Tseng's heart clenched.

"You can talk all you'd like," Tseng told him firmly. He never thought he would say that to Reno. Ever. "I shot your 'Master' in the face."

Reno smiled, genuinely happy. "And now you're my Master."

Tseng's jaw dropped. "W-what? No, I'm not...you're not...DAMMIT, RENO! YOU AREN'T A DOG!"

In a second, Reno's smile had vanished. Tseng watched as Reno shut his eyes and tensed himself up, anticipating pain. The look on Reno's face said that he didn't know what he had done wrong, but he had done _something,_ and now he was going to be punished. Tseng saw that Reno was trembling.

"Look...I didn't mean to yell at you." Tseng was trying to make his voice gentle. He only succeeded in making it sharp. "And you can stop cowering."

Reno slowly uncurled, but he still wouldn't look anywhere but at the ground, and he kept his arms wrapped around his middle. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He sounded close to tears. "Don't."

Tseng was confused. "Don't? Don't what? I'm already told you I wasn't going to hit you."

Reno said nothing; just held himself more tightly. Tseng felt sick when he realized what Reno meant.

Tseng started to speak several times, but he didn't know what to say. At last, he just said, "I won't."

Reno relaxed. Tseng smiled, knowing that he had somehow gained Reno's trust. His smile faded when Reno suddenly sank back on the bed and closed his eyes. He was still very weak; Tseng's outburst had worn him out.

Within moments, Reno had fallen asleep. Tseng sat back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his face. He was so angry that he couldn't take it. Those Neo-AVALANCHE bastards...they didn't deserve such a quick death.

Tseng's hands clenched into fists. His knuckles turned white.

He wanted to go back and make them suffer.


	9. Chapter 9

Eh, that wasn't so bad. Not nearly as long of a break as I feared. Thanks both to those who have reviewed and those who have added this story to their favorites.

xcloudx-Yeah, I'm an angst-addict, too. Unfortunately for Reno, he's my favorite, which means he gets tortured the most. And yes, Tseng's awesome in this fic. A lot of people make Tseng the bad guy, but I don't think he's all that bad. Perhaps it's wishful thinking, though. ^^

Namantos-I am aware of these gaps, and I actually left them there intentionally. I don't know how to explain it, but it's kind of like how Tseng and Elena and Rude don't know what happened to Reno, and Reno's not going to say anything because he's too ashamed and because he doesn't really like to remember. Personally, I attribute his memory-loss to trauma. But since you were so nice with your request, I'll see if I can't help you out with a few flashbacks. :]

Chapter Nine

Elena was stunned when Tseng told her what happened. She couldn't believe Reno had spoken, but she acted like she had known this would happen all along.

"I told you!"

"Yes, you did." Tseng raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, since you seem to know everything, perhaps you could tell me why Rude won't visit Reno?"

Elena looked down at Reno sadly. He was sleeping. Peacefully, for once.

"Ah, you _do_ know. Elena, I order you to tell me."

"He doesn't want to see Reno afraid of him."

Tseng blinked. It made sense. Rude and Reno were like brothers; it would hurt Rude to stay away, but it would hurt even more if he came to visit and Reno couldn't bear to see him.

"Tseng," Elena said, interrupting his thoughts. "The doctor stopped me on my way here. He said–"

"I know what he said," Tseng snapped, suddenly angry. He knew that the hospital wanted Reno gone. The Turks had never been well-liked, and Reno was especially despised thanks to his role in the collapse of the Sector 7 pillar.

In fact, that was the last time Reno had been in the hospital. AVALANCHE had hurt him badly on that pillar, but once he was awake and breathing on his own, he was taken from the hospital back to the Turk apartment, where he was cared for by Tseng, Rude, and Elena.

Turks never could rely on anyone but other Turks. Tseng sighed.

"We'll taken Reno home tonight," he said. Elena started to protest, but Tseng stopped her with a look. Now it was Elena's turn to sigh.

"I'll get everything ready. At least he doesn't need an IV this time. Or an oxygen tank."

"Thank you, Elena."

Elena smiled.

xxx

It only took a few hours to fill out the paperwork, then Reno was free to go. He was uncomfortable being pushed down the hall in a wheelchair, but Elena promised him it wouldn't be for long. Against Reno's better judgement, he believed her. And she wasn't lying.

When they'd reached the outside, Sung told Reno to get up. Reno did so and then started to crouch on all-fours, but Sung told him to, "stand like a human."

It was more painful this way, but Reno did his best. He walked hunched over, holding a hand over his chest wound, and made it to Sung's car. Elena opened the backdoor, and Reno clumsily got in. Elena and Sung got into the seats in front of him.

"Buckle up!" Elena said cheerfully. Reno found himself reaching automatically for the seatbelt, but then he stopped. _'Leney, I'm in a job that's gonna get me killed before my hair goes gray; what makes you think I care about a fucking seatbelt? _

Someone had said that, once, but Reno couldn't remember who. He winced and put a hand to his head. It was...him. He had said that.

And Reno remembered. He remembered the Turks, and ShinRa, and...and _everything._

"Reno? Are you okay?"

Elena. Reno looked up at her. He knew her name. Actually knew it. And now Tseng was looking at him. That's right. It was Tseng, not Sung. Reno felt tears in his eyes.

"I'm fine, yo."


	10. Chapter 10

Hello everyone. It's been a while, and I apologize. Life happened.

Namantos-Of course he won't forget! That wouldn't be very fun at all. But there will be some intense denial. ;] Reno is my favorite character of all time, too; it makes me so happy to know that I write him well!

Sonya-You're right about that. Thanks for the praise. :]

Thesheep-I know! I was so thrilled with the last line because Reno was finally himself again! Thank your patience; I hope this update is worth the wait.

Chapter Ten

Reno was back.

Tseng found it hard to concentrate on the road. Elena was pestering Reno, chattering question after question, and Reno kept telling her to shut up because she was giving him a headache. It was just like old times.

At last, they arrived at the apartment. Tseng felt another pang of happiness when Reno yelled at Elena for trying to help him from the car.

"I got it, yo! I'm not an invalid!"

Elena huffed and put her hands on her hips, but she was having trouble keeping the smile off her face. "Sorry for trying to help!"

Reno just grunted in reply. He fought to get out of the car, and then stumbled a little when he finally managed it. Tseng led the way into the building and they waited for the elevator. When the elevator got there, they took it up to the top floor.

Even such a short time on his feet was taking its toll on Reno, and he was breathing heavily when they reached the apartment. Rude opened the door before they even had a chance to knock. Even though Tseng had called to warn him, he still looked like a deer in the headlights when he saw Reno. To everyone's relief, Reno grinned.

"Hey, partner."

Rude almost smiled, which was more emotion than Tseng had ever seen him show, and gave Reno a nod before he stepped aside to let them in. Reno walked right over and flopped down on the cough.

"Ah, it's good to be home," Reno sighed, putting his head back and closing his eyes. "Being in the hospital sucked. There weren't even any hot nurses."

"You may be out of the hospital, but you're still not at one-hundred percent," Tseng warned. "Just take it easy for a few weeks."

Reno's eyes shot open. "_Weeks?_" He laughed. "No way, boss-man. I'm going back to work _tomorrow._"

Tseng lifted an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you plan to manage that?"

"What d'ya mean?"

"What I mean, Reno, is that you are in no shape to be working. I doubt you could even manage to walk from the couch to the door without collapsing."

Reno's head tipped back forward and he thoughtfully gauged the distance. "I could make it," he decided at last.

Tseng sighed. "Reno, you will be staying home tomorrow and every day after that until I decide you are suitable for duty, and that's final. Now just sit there and rest until dinner's ready."

Reno pouted, but strangely he did not argue. He yawned and leaned back, then a few seconds later, he had fallen asleep.

When Elena came out to check on him ten minutes later, that's how she found him. She told Tseng and Rude, and Tseng decided that Reno needed sleep more than he needed food. Rude nodded in agreement, then he gently lifted Reno from the couch and carried him to bed.

xxx

It was all happening again. Reno thrashed and fought the hands holding him down, but it was no use. He couldn't get away. There was terrible pain, and Reno screamed.

But then he was awake. Reno opened his eyes to find Tseng, Elena, and Rude standing over him, looking concerned. The room was dark; it was the middle of the night.

"Reno, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Reno nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak just yet. Elena's cool hand touched his forehead.

"You're burning up," she said. Her voice was shaking. Reno knew his screaming had probably scared her. "I'll go get you some water."

Reno found his voice. "Don't worry about it, 'Leney. I'm okay now." He took a deep breath and wiped his wet eyes. "Sorry for waking you guys."

Tseng and Rude exchanged a glance, then they left. Elena followed a bit more reluctantly.

When the door closed, Reno let his mask crumble. He burrowed down into the covers and pulled them up to his chin, as though they would protect him, and let a few more tears fall.

It was a long time before he fell asleep.

xxx

In the morning, Reno didn't come out of his room. Tseng sent Elena to check on him, but Reno just told her to leave him alone.

"Give him time," Tseng said. "Rude, you stay here with Reno. Elena, let's go."

Rude settled down on the couch as Tseng and Elena went off to work.

xxx

Reno didn't leave his room all that day, or the next day. Every time Rude looked in on him, he appeared to be sleeping, but Rude didn't think he was.

On the third day, Tseng told Elena to stay behind while he and Rude went to Neo-ShinRa. She waited and waited for Reno to come out, but she knew he wasn't going to. At last, she got up and knocked on his door.

"Reno?" No response. "Reno, I'm coming in, okay?"

Elena opened the door and went inside. She walked over to the bed and saw that Reno was awake.

"Hey. What're you doing?"

Reno blinked at her. "Thinking," he replied. His voice sounded odd.

"About what?"

Reno sighed and sat up. "Just stuff." He tried to stretch and winced. "What time is it?"

"4:30." Elena sat down on the edge of the bed. "Reno, are you okay?"

Reno shrugged. "Sure."

"Really?"

"What else you want me to say?" Reno snapped. "I'll be fine; I always am. Now go away."

Elena crossed her arms. "No."

Childishly, Reno lay down and rolled over so he was facing away from her, pulling the covers over his head.

"You can't ignore me."

"Watch me," Reno replied. His voice was muffled. Elena yanked the covers down, and he sat up. "Hey!"

"Listen, you idiot. I don't know why you're so determined to pretend that you're 'fine,' but no one expects you to be, so you can drop the act."

Reno glared at her, but then the glare faded away. He looked tired. "I don't have anywhere else to go," he said quietly.

Elena blinked. "What?"

"And I'm not really good at anything but this."

"Reno, what are you talking about?"

He looked at her. "Tseng's going to fire me."

"He won't."

"Yes, he will. He'll fire me when he sees how broken I am, and then I'll have to leave. And I have nowhere else to go."

Impulsively, Elena pulled Reno into a tight hug. "Don't say that," she said. "You're a Turk, Reno. Tseng won't fire you; he wants you to take the time to get better. You'll always have a place here."

Reno did nothing, then he tentatively hugged back. "Thanks, 'Leney."

After a moment, the hug ended and they sat there awkwardly. Reno sighed and threw back the covers. "Well, I guess I should take a shower," he said. Elena got up and helped him to his feet. "Hey, Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to ask a favor."

"Go for it."

"Could you please go back to making fun of me? Getting along with you is just too weird."

Reno looked surprised, then he grinned and reached out to playfully tousle her hair. "Sure thing, Rookie."

Elena nodded and smacked his hand away. "Much better."

As Reno went off to shower, Elena walked into the kitchen and ordered a pizza. She had thought briefly about trying to cook them something, but then decided that Reno had been tortured enough.

When Tseng and Rude came home, they were shocked to find Reno dressed and sitting on the couch, eating a piece of pizza.

"Yo," Reno said, his mouth full.

Tseng was the first to recover. "Good to see you're finally out of bed. How are you feeling?"

"Awful," Reno replied casually, swallowing. "But the pizza's helping. I think I'm ready to go back to work."

Tseng raised an eyebrow, just like he did the last time Reno mentioned returning to work, but this time he didn't argue. "If you think you're ready."

Reno nodded. "I am."

"Then it's settled." Tseng said with a small smile. "As of tomorrow, you're back on active duty."


	11. Chapter 11

Okay, here's the new chapter. But before I get right to it, I have a quick story.

While I was writing this chapter in class, even though I had finished my work, my teacher tried to confiscate my notebook, (which, by the way, had all my school notes and homework). I asked why, and she told me that she was going to read it aloud. This is the notebook that I write EVERYTHING in; yaoi, PWP, bloody one-shots. Needless to say, I told the teacher that if she read it out loud to our class, she would get fired. She gave me a mean look, but in the end she let me keep the notebook and only gave me a warning. I almost wish she had read it.

Reveur rebelle-I'm glad you like it! Yeah, it's nice that Reno's going back to work. But I'm not quite done with him yet. ;]

Sake-tan-Well, now I'm blushing like crazy. Excellent? You're far too kind! And Reno will definitely be dealing with his old life, because it just wouldn't be as angsty otherwise, would it? I'm very glad you like the story!

Chapter Eleven

In spite of what Tseng had said, Reno still had a long way to go before he could be reactivated. He had to pass both a physical and a psychological examination, not to mention fill out a report stating the reasons for his prior failure. The report was a pain and the physical test was a tiresome mixture of stamina exercises, sparring, strength reps, and timed agility courses, but no one was worried about that. It was the psychological evaluation that made all the Turks nervous.

Reno had never been the most stable Turk, and that was _before_ he'd been through months of humiliation, brainwashing, and torture.

But they all pretended that it would be easy. Like it would be a piece of cake for Reno to pass; like he already _had_ passed. Still, in the back of their minds was a little worm of doubt.

The four Turks arrived at the Neo-ShinRa building in the morning, Tseng, Rude, and Elena wearing their trademark blue suits and Reno in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Elena and Rude tried to hide their concern as they wished Reno luck, then they left. Tseng, who would be overseeing Reno's physical test, went with Reno to the testing center.

Reno was in surprisingly good shape for what he had been through. In fact, he was even more decisive and ruthless than before. Tseng actually thought Reno was going to break his nose during their sparring match.

So, though it was far from Reno's best run, he passed the physical test. Just like they'd all known he would.

Reno was allowed a quick shower before Tseng led him down to the office of Neo-ShinRa's resident psychologist. Neither of them said a word the whole way there. When they reached the door, they both stopped.

"Well," Reno said at last, forcing a grin. "Might as well get it over with." He opened the door and walked inside. Tseng went and sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting room.

xxx

Dr. Simmons peered over her glasses at the man sitting across from her. Reno of the Turks. She'd heard a great deal about him. She leaned back in her chair.

"So, Reno. How are you feeling today?"

He shrugged. "Good enough."

She made a small note on her clipboard. "And you're here because you'd like to be reactivated as a member of the Turks, is that correct?"

"Yeah."

Another note. Dr. Simmons looked up and carefully examined Reno's face. She could see he was nervous. "I read your file," she said. "You were held prisoner by a terrorist organization for several months?"

There. Something in Reno's eyes; a crack. Dr. Simmons watched him even more closely. He was remarkably good at hiding it, but this was a very painful topic. The psychological wounds hadn't healed.

"That's right."

"Tell me about it."

Reno's lips pressed into a thin line as he shrugged. "Not much to tell. I didn't spill any top secret info, and then I got rescued. End of story."

He was in an extraordinary amount of denial. Dr. Simmons didn't make any notes. "What would you do if you met any of your captors?"

Two cracks, now. "They're already dead."

"And if they weren't?"

Reno's eyes looked like shattered glass. "I'm..." he swallowed thickly. "I'm not sure."

"You wouldn't want revenge?"

"Of course," Reno said, but without conviction.

"I see. And how would you react if you ever found yourself in a similar situation?"

The glass in Reno's eyes broke down completely. His hands started trembling; he clenched them into fists. "I'd kill myself," he whispered.

"I see." Dr. Simmons made a very short note on the clipboard. She looked up and smiled. "Well, that's all. You're free to go. Please send in the leader of the Turks; I'd like to have a word with him."

Reno gave her a tight nod and got to his feet. Dr. Simmons noticed that he quickly hid his face behind a calm mask as he walked out into the waiting room. She heard him address someone in a drawling, bored tone of voice, and heard that person reply in a clipped, skeptical manner. A moment later, a dark-haired man walked into her office, closing the door behind her.

"You wished to speak with me?"

"Yes. It's Tseng, isn't it?"

Tseng nodded. Dr. Simmons gestured to a chair. "Please, have a seat."

"I'd rather stand."

"Suit yourself." Dr. Simmons took a moment to look over her clipboard, and then she looked up at him. "Reno is perfectly fine."

Tseng looked surprised, then relieved. "So he has been cleared for reactivation?"

"Yes. He can be reactivated immediately. However, he is only to be assigned to the low-level missions. President ShinRa has given me the authority to review the missions before they are assigned and to decline any I deem unsuitable."

Tseng considered for a moment. "Under the circumstances, that seems highly reasonable."

"I'm glad you think so."

"I shall send a secretary by with Reno's first set of missions. You can expect them by noon."

Dr. Simmons nodded professionally. "And I'll review them and send them back immediately."

Tseng gave her a nod, then he left. He didn't see Dr. Simmons smile unpleasantly.

xxx

Reno was a Turk again.

His old uniform had been too shredded to salvage, so the first thing he did was go into one of the equipment storage rooms to dig through the boxes. At last, he found a spare suit. There was a small stain of blood on the sleeve and a few drops of it on the collar of the white dress shirt, but it was definitely wearable. Tseng frowned when Reno took the tie and threw it back into the box.

"Typically, uniforms are meant to be worn in a _uniform_ fashion, Reno," Tseng said as Reno changed into the suit, leaving the blazer unbuttoned. "That's sort of the point."

"Sorry, boss-man," Reno said, turning around to riffle through another box. He found a pair of goggles and put them on his forehead to keep his unruly red bangs out of his eyes. "I've never been one to follow the crowd."

Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose and hid a smile. Reno was giving him a headache. At last, Reno stumbled out of the storage room and closed the door.

"Good to go," he said. Tseng shook his head.

"Not quite." Tseng reached into his own blazer and pulled out a brand-new EMR to replace Reno's lost weapon. Reno flinched.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Tseng held the EMR out to Reno. Reno hesitated, then took it and started twirling it around his fingers. Something in the way Reno was acting was wrong. Tseng narrowed his eyes. "You know I could order you to tell me."

Reno rolled his eyes. "The Neo-AVALANCHE guys liked my old EMR, okay?"

Tseng frowned. What did that mean? Then he understood. Tseng felt sick. "They used your own weapon on you?"

Reno shrugged and went back to playing with his EMR, now flicking it open and closed. But though he acted casual, his elbows were tucked close against his ribcage, betraying his pain. Tseng suspected that Reno's body was riddled with old electricity burns.

"Come on," Tseng said. "Let's get back to work."


	12. Chapter 12

Excuses time!

First, this site wouldn't let me update my stories, which was super-fun, and then I got writer's block and four season of Boy Meets World on dvd for my birthday. Therefore, most of my time was spent not writing.

But a bunch of you guys left me really touching and blush-worthy reviews. I truly can't thank you enough, because now I feel like the novel I'm sending out will actually be published. That's a good feeling.

Reveur rebelle-I am a big fan of Reno-centric fics also, so I can relate to your pickiness. Glad my story makes the grade!

Zorrina93-Your nose can relax because here's that next update. It's reassuring to know that my attempts to keep everyone in character are working. Lemme know if they start to get out of line, though, would you please?

BlackOphelia (all three reviews)-1.) Loving the criticism! :] One day, I'll actually go back and read over everything and fix the errors. Right now, I just type it up and post it because I'm so busy! Sorry! 2.) I LOVE RENO, TOO. THEY SHOULD JUST MAKE A RENO GAME OR MOVIE. 3.) This is gonna sound awful, but I love when things I write make people cry! You're also the first person to call my writing both "horrid and gritty" and "beautiful" in the same review! XD

HikariFighter-Thanks! I appreciate the luck, also. :]

Chapter Twelve

It had happened again.

The so-called "amateur" mission Reno had been sent on was rigged. It was another death-trap. Just like all the others.

"Fuck," Reno gasped as he ran for his life. He winced out loud at a white-hot pain in his back. One of the men chasing him must have gotten a lucky shot.

Reno stumbled at the wave of agony and dizziness, but he kept going. The yelling behind him was suddenly so much softer.

_I must be getting away,_ Reno thought hazily.

Then his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

xxx

It had only been a month since Reno had been re-hired, and Tseng was beginning to think that he'd made a mistake. He'd given Reno low-level missions, just like that psychiatrist had told him, but Reno had failed every one of those missions. And not only that. In addition to the consistent failures, Reno kept getting hurt.

Not that Reno would ever admit it. Tseng had figured it out on his own through little hints such as bloody towels, extra bottles of pain medication in Reno's medicine cabinet, and rolls of missing gauze.

Tseng sighed and put down his pen, sitting back in his chair. If this kept up, the Turks would become an embarrassment. This job was hard enough as it is without people thinking they were a joke.

So Tseng came to a decision. He would give Reno one last chance to redeem himself. One last mission. And if Reno failed, then...well, then it would be up to Tseng to do what had to be done. No matter how hard that might be.

xxx

It was starting to rain.

Cloud glanced up at the sky and sighed. Rain reminded him of Aerith, and that made him sad. He sighed again and looked down, letting the rain drip from his face. Cloud kept forgetting that he had promised himself he wasn't going to dwell on the past. Aerith was dead; Tifa was alive and waiting for him at 7th Heaven.

Suddenly, Cloud heard a choking sound coming from the alley to his right. He stopped and peered apprehensively into the darkness.

"Hello?" he called. There was no reply. Cloud reached for the sword on his back and took a few steps forward. "Is anyone there?"

Still nothing. Cloud was beginning to think he may have imagined it, but then he walked a little further and saw someone lying on the ground, gasping and choking. That red hair...it was unmistakeable.

"Reno?"

Reno weakly looked at him. Cloud knelt down and tried to find where the wound was. One touch, and his hands were covered with blood. Cloud gave up on looking and pulled out his phone. He had to get help.

But, after dialing, he stopped, his thumb hovering over the send button. Why was he doing this? Why was he saving a _Turk?_ And not just any Turk, but the same Turk that had wiped out Sector Seven? Did a murderer like Reno really deserve to be saved?

Cloud came to his senses when Reno's eyes fell closed. He pressed send as he shook Reno awake.

xxx

After a quick call to Tifa to let her know that he was bringing an injured Reno to her bar, Cloud lifted Reno off the ground and took him to 7th Heaven. Reno went unconscious again while Tifa took out the bullet and set about patching him up. When she finished, Reno woke up and managed to choke down a potion that brought some of the color back to his face.

Reno was surprised. Partly because he was in 7th Heaven, but mostly because he had woken up at all. He'd thought he was a goner.

"What happened, yo?" he asked. He tried to sit up, but Tifa held him down.

"Stay still a moment, stupid Turk," she ordered. "You've been shot."

"Ah." Reno closed his eyes. "That's right."

Tifa's face softened with concern. She shook his shoulder. "Reno?"

"Sorry," he said, forcing his eyes open. "I'm just...really tired."

"Then you'll stay here tonight," Tifa declared. "Cloud will sleep on the couch and you can have his bed."

Reno opened his eyes and grinned weakly at the look on Cloud's face. As tempting as it was...

"No." Reno ignored Tifa's protests and sat up. "I should really get back to work."

It took a while, but Reno managed to get to his feet. Almost immediately, he sank down onto a bar stool with a groan. Tifa crossed her arms and looked smug. The smug look faded when Reno tried and failed to stand again, looking pained.

"Look, you really shouldn't be moving," Tifa lectured. Reno ignored her, so she tried a new approach. "How about this: If you stay, you can have as many drinks as you want. Free of charge."

Reno considered that for a moment. Why not? It wasn't like he had the strength to walk all the way back to Neo-ShinRa, anyway. "Fine," he said.

And so it was settled. Tifa went behind the bar and poured Reno a drink.

Tifa honestly expected Reno to drink the whole bar, but only three drinks later, Reno shook his head when she went to refill his glass.

"Well, that was cheaper than I thought," Tifa commented. She put the bottle away and glanced at Reno, who was staring down at his half-empty glass. He seemed less..._annoying_ than usual. "Is something wrong?"

Reno leaned forward and put his forehead down on the bar. He muttered something incomprehensible.

"What?"

"I'm being retired," he repeated, turning his head.

Tifa furrowed her brow. "That's funny," she said. "I thought Turks didn't retire."

"They don't."

She didn't understand; of course she wouldn't. But Cloud did.

Reno sighed. "You explain," he said to Cloud. Reno stared at nothing while Cloud murmured in Tifa's ear. Tifa's gasped.

"What? You mean...?"

Reno smiled at Tifa's shock. "'Fraid so, beautiful."

"But they can't do that!"

"They can," Reno assured her. "And they will."

"No, we won't let them. Right, Cloud?"

Reno lifted his head from the bar and blinked at her. "You don't have to pretend to care."

Tifa glared at him. "We _do_ care. You're our friend, and they're going to _kill_ you."

"_Friend?_" Reno repeated. He shook his head in awe. "Sheesh...it's no wonder you're the good guys."

There was a moment of silence. Reno felt a little bad when he saw there were actual tears forming in Tifa's eyes.

"Why are you letting them do this?" Tifa whispered.

Before Reno could answer, the door opened. It was Rude.

"Reno, where've you been? I..." Rude saw the blood on Reno's dress shirt and trailed off. Reno casually tugged his blazer over his stained shirt.

"Sorry, partner," he said. "I stopped off for a drink after my mission and lost track of time."

Rude frowned. "We should go," he said. "Tseng's expecting us."

"Sure thing, yo. I'll meet ya outside in a minute."

As the door swung shut, Reno drained the last bit of liquid from his glass, got to his feet, and started towards the door.

"Reno, don't go," Tifa said.

Reno stopped, his hand on the door knob. "It's weird," he said unexpectedly. "Even back when we were enemies you guys were still the best friends I ever had."

And then, before Tifa or Cloud could get over their shock, Reno walked out of the bar.


	13. Chapter 13

Okay guys, this is a short one, but I'm posting it to tell you that I'm taking votes on whether there should be a happy ending or not. Whaddya think?

BlackOphelia-Your reviews always make me grin. Thanks so much for all the kind words and birthday wishes!

xxDarkAssassinxx-I knooow! Poor Reno. :\

Reveur rebelle-Thanks! And I'm planning on having a bit more about other characters soon, by the way. I forgot to mention that last time.

AnimalCops-It was pretty sad, huh?

gina-That is entirely up to the majority vote. Though I may include an extra alternative-ending chapter if I'm feeling motivated.

Chapter Thirteen

Back at Neo-ShinRa, Tseng was indeed waiting for them, and he looked pissed.

"Reno. My office. Now."

Reno knew better than to argue. He followed Tseng into the office and closed the door behind them. They were both quiet for a long time.

"Reno," Tseng said. "this is unacceptable."

Reno looked down. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"Your performance in the field has been abysmal and your paperwork is nonexistent. Not to mention that your priorities are downright disgraceful, as was proven tonight by your decision go to a bar instead of returning to headquarters."

Reno still said nothing.

"Therefore," Tseng went on, "it is my obligation as your superior to dismiss you from the Turks effective immediately."

Reno just stood there. His throat was so tight that it hurt to breathe. This was a much worse pain than when he had gotten shot. In fact, he wished he _had_ bled out in the alley. Reno walked out of Tseng's office; past Rude, who may as well have been a statue; out of the Neo-ShinRa building.

Outside, the sun was rising. It was a new day.

xxx

The apartment was empty when Reno arrived because Elena, Tseng, and Rude were at Neo-ShinRa, and he was glad. This way, he could be gone by the time they came home. No awkward goodbyes.

Reno wasn't going to take anything with him, so he packed all of his things into a box and made sure the room was clean so that his replacement would be able to move right in. When he was done, he gave the room one last sweep, smoothing the clean covers on the bed and checking to make sure all of the dresser drawers were empty, then he changed from his blue Turk uniform into civilian clothes: Jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie.

Now that he was fired, Reno didn't have any right to wear the uniform any longer. He left it folded on top of the box at the foot of the bed along with his EMR and goggles.


	14. Chapter 14

I had editing motivation last night, so I edited the previous thirteen chapters. Unfortunately, I kept mixing up the chapters. They should be okay now, but I apologize for any confusion.

Silver Tears 11-Thanks for voting! So far, since you're the only one who did, I get to write a real happy ending. I haven't written one of those for a while...I hope I still know how! :P

xxDarkAssassinxx-Agree. :[

BlackOphelia-Yeah, kind of hating Tseng right now, but he had a good reason for being such a jerk. I promise.

Reveur rebelle-Indeed. And I'm sorry to say that it's only going to get worse from here.

Gina-Getting murdered would be a very "Reno" thing to do.

Cilla92-I'M SORRY. I had a clumsy moment and uploaded the wrong document. XD

AnimalCops-But if Tseng didn't ruin Reno's life, then how would I continue the plot? I'm not good enough to create a likeable new character out of thin air that has the authority to fire Reno. ^^ But, like I mentioned to BlackOphelia, Tseng actually does have good intentions.

Chapter Fourteen

When Tseng told them what he'd done, Elena and Rude couldn't believe it.

"_You fired Reno?_" Elena repeated shrilly. "_How could you?_"

"I had no choice," Tseng said. "It was for the–"

Rude lunged forward and seized Tseng by the collar of his shirt, cutting him off. "Call Reno _right now_ and fix this," he growled in a low, threatening voice. Tseng pried Rude's hands away.

"And then what? You know as well as I that if Reno had stayed a Turk he would have gotten himself killed." Under his breath, Tseng added, "Not to mention that we have a reputation to uphold..."

Rude shook his head in disgust and walked away without waiting for Tseng to finish. Elena glanced at Tseng, then hurried to catch up to Rude.

"Where are you two going?" Tseng demanded. "Come back here!"

They ignored him and kept walking.

xxx

"So," Elena said once they were out of the Neo-ShinRa building, "where are we going?"

"To the apartment," Rude replied. "Reno shouldn't be alone right now."

Elena had to hurry to keep up with Rude. "Yeah, he's probably really upset, huh?"

Rude looked over at her. "How much do you know about him?"

"Reno? Not much," Elena admitted. "Why?"

"Reno...he's never been the most balanced person. Before he was a Turk, he lived in the slums."

"Really?" Elena had always thought Reno's slum-slang way of talking was just an act. "Which sector?"

"Sector 7."

Elena stopped dead. "And he still dropped the plate?"

"That's what I mean. He's never been completely right." Rude sighed and stopped also, turning back. "I was with Tseng the day that he brought Reno into the Turks. Reno was only a kid, but he was already a legend for taking down an entire gang by himself. That's why President ShinRa recruited him in the first place."

"Where were his parents?"

"As far as I can tell, he never had any," Rude answered. "You get a lot of orphans in the slums. Parents either don't want their children or can't afford to keep them, so they leave them in the streets.

"So when Reno became a Turk, it was like he finally found a family." Rude looked at Elena. "That's what he thinks of us as, you know. Family."

Elena bit her lip. Reno was always smiling and joking around; she would have never guessed that his life had been so hard. Elena remembered what he'd said to her when he thought Tseng would fire him. _I have nowhere else to go._ He'd been so scared, but she had told him that it would never happen.

She'd lied.

An icy fear was pooling in her stomach. Elena started walking more quickly. Now Rude was hurrying to keep up.

xxx

Less than five minutes later, Elena and Rude arrived at the apartment. Both of them were gasping from the fast pace.

"Reno?" Elena called. "Reno, are you here?"

There was no answer. Rude went and looked into Reno's room.

"He's gone," Rude reported quietly.

"What?" Elena raced to Reno's room to see for herself. She stopped in horror.

Reno's room was clean.

Elena walked inside, gaping in awe at the folded bed and the floor, which, without all of the dirty clothes lying about, was actually visible. She was so distracted that she stumbled into something. Elena looked down to see that it was a cardboard box with Reno's uniform, EMR, and goggles folded on the lid.

With shaking hands, Elena reached down and picked up the goggles.


	15. Chapter 15

Good news! I finally thought of an ending. Sort of. It still needs a lot of work, but it's better than nothing, right? Anyway, enjoy the chapter! This is the one where things should start making a little more sense! ^^

omgitskirby-OKAY! :D

Caerbear-No kidding, right? Reno's room being clean is like a sign of the apocalypse. And Tseng really does make a terrific bad guy, though he really isn't all that bad. He just wants Reno to be safe.

gina-That's what Reno thought, too, and I imagine that it usually is. Then again, I'm sure most Turks mess up a lot worse than Reno, so it's really the only choice. Tseng really isn't so awful! He's making excuses so that he can fire Reno because he doesn't want Reno getting killed.

Reveur rebelle-Not at all! Then again, I may not be the best person to ask. I'm probably a bad person myself because I look forward to writing more dark-angstiness! XD

BlackOphelia-I was really psyched about how badass Rude was, too. Way to stick up for your friend! And you're right about that angst. It is waiting around the corner. And the next corner. And the one after that... ^^

Chapter Fifteen

The news spread around Neo-ShinRa like wildfire. Reno of the Turks had been terminated, which everyone knew was just another way of saying he was dead. No one knew for sure what had happened because no one was stupid enough to ask one of the Turks, but the popular opinion was that Tseng had killed him.

And Tseng, once he knew of the rumors, was content to let them continue. He usually didn't take kindly to any sort of gossip, but this was an exception. It suited the Turks' image for everyone to think they had killed one of their own.

Tseng's PHS rang. It was Rufus.

"Good morning, sir," Tseng said.

"Tseng, I'd like to see you in my office at once."

"Yes, sir."

The call disconnected with a click. Rufus was never one to waste time on pleasantries.

Tseng rode the elevator up to the seventieth floor using the special clearance provided by his Neo-ShinRa identification card, and then he walked straight from the elevator into Rufus' office. Rufus was busy writing something, so Tseng stood a respectful distance away and waited.

At last, Rufus stopped writing and looked up. "Tseng, I'm sure you already know why you're here, so I'll just get to the point. Is it true?"

"No, sir."

Rufus eyed him impassively. "And yet I can't help but notice that Reno is not at work today."

"I dismissed Reno earlier this morning, sir," Tseng explained.

"Dismissed?" Rufus repeated slowly.

"Yes, sir."

Rufus put his elbows on the desk and wove his fingers together, propping his chin on the back of them. "Might I ask why?"

Tseng explained Reno's field performance. Rufus was quiet for a moment.

"I have always trusted your judgement in regards to the Turks," he said at last. "But Reno has always been a loyal and talented employee. I want him assigned to another department immediately."

"Yes, sir." Tseng turned to leave. He had just gotten out in the hall when his PHS rang. "What is it, Rude?"

"Reno's moved out of the apartment."

Tseng's heart skipped a beat. "Do you know where he went?"

"No."

_Reno...you idiot... _Tseng punched the wall and hissed in pain. _You idiot!_

"Tseng?"

"Find Reno," Tseng ordered. "Send Elena back to work, then find him."

Rude hung up.

Tseng took a moment to collect himself, then he sighed. Reluctantly, he walked back to Rufus' office and knocked on the door.

Rufus was _not_ going to be happy.

xxx

After Rude got off the phone with Tseng, he told Elena to go to Neo-ShinRa, then he immediately started to search. He knew that Reno wouldn't want to be found, but Rude also knew that he was Reno's best friend, his partner, his brother. If anyone could find Reno, it would be him.

During the next twenty-four hours, Rude checked all the places where he thought Reno might be, but it was one dead end after another. He called Elena to see if Reno had returned to the apartment or come into work.

"Sorry, Rude."

Rude rubbed his eyes, which were burning from a day of no sleep and no coffee. "I've looked everywhere," he said. "There's no sign of him."

Suddenly, Rude heard someone in the background. "Huh? Oh, okay. Rude, Tseng wants to talk to you."

Elena handed the phone over. Tseng's voice came on the line.

"Have you checked Sector 7?"

That was, in fact, one of the few places Rude hadn't checked, though he couldn't imagine why Reno would go there. Especially since that place had so many bad memories for him.

Still, it was worth a shot.

Rude hung up and made his way towards Sector 7.

xxx

While Rude was out looking for Reno, Tseng was busy trying to find a replacement Turk. This meant going through mountains of files, conducting a lot of boring interviews, and sifting through every scrap of personal history.

But before Tseng even had the chance to get started, he received a message from the President. The message said that a new Turk had already been chosen to take Reno's place, and that this decision was non-negotiable.

Tseng thought that was very strange until he realized that Rufus probably didn't trust him after the whole Reno-fiasco. In fact, if Rufus had gone this far, it was worse than that; Rufus had to be really angry.

So Tseng wasn't about to press his luck by arguing.

He had no way of knowing that President ShinRa hadn't sent that message, or that a new receptionist had also been hired that day to replace the usual girl, who had been missing for the last week. Tseng also had no way of knowing that Reno's missions had been switched so that they were impossible.

The one responsible for all of those things was Dr. Simmons. She had forged the message to Tseng from the president, killed the old secretary, and switched Reno's missions. It was all part of her plan to assassinate President Rufus ShinRa.

And that plan was just about to pay off.


	16. Chapter 16

Wow, this was really hard to write, but it's just one of those chapters that need to be there in order to get to the good stuff. Next chapter is where it gets interesting. Promise.

Emily Babaaaay-Be careful with all that running so that you don't trip! Though I really love that you had such a passionate reaction to my writing! Thanks! ^^

BlackOphelia-I hope so too! It'd be great if she got what was coming to her, am I right? But I don't really know if she will yet because I have no idea what's going to happen next! That's probably not too good, especially at this point of the story, so very close to the end... XD

Reveur rebelle-Of course Rufus has a heart! It always drives me crazy when people write him all cold and two-dimensional, because I just can't believe that he's really like that (in the fictional world of fiction). There's A LOT of focus on the other characters in this chapter, which is probably why I got a little bored writing it, but it's good to get inside their heads, right?

Caerbear-Shhhhh! Please, don't say that too loudly! It would be lame if everyone caught on and left. ;] Though in all seriousness, I'm still not sure how I'm gonna get Reno out of this mess, or if I'm even going to get him out of it at all. I do have a disturbing tendency to...sort of...kill him off. ^^

gina-It will all be explained soonish, I hope. Unfortunately, I can't promise that everything about Reno will be explained, as he is a naturally confusing person. I'll do my best, though!

Alia Zanetsu-No need to apologize; your english is wonderful! Reno's a little tricky to write, so I'm always happy to hear that I'm doing a decent job. Glad you liked the chapter, hope this one is equally likeable. Thanks! :]

Chapter Sixteen

Tseng's suspicions about Sector 7 were beginning to seem more and more ridiculous with every passing hour; as far as Rude could tell, there was nothing living here but rats.

Suddenly, Rude had to stop as the world began to spin. Rude closed his eyes for a moment until everything settled and he took a few deep breaths. He was so tired. He wanted to sleep, but wouldn't give up.

Rude trudged on. A moment later, he saw something, and he didn't feel tired anymore.

There, hanging from a shattered metal beam, was a hooded sweatshirt.

Rude ran over and tore the sweatshirt down. It was Reno's. He could tell because the sleeves were cut with little v's at the shoulders. Reno did that with all his sweatshirts, claiming that it increased his mobility.

For a moment, Rude just stood there, his fatigued mind trying to process that Tseng was actually right, then he fumbled for his PHS.

"He's here," Rude reported when Tseng answered, then he hung up. There was nothing more to say that would be worth wasting valuable time. They may have narrowed it down to one sector, but finding Reno still wasn't going to be easy.

Rude kept looking.

xxx

The day seemed to pass by slowly as Elena anxiously waited until work was over so she could go help Rude search for Reno, but Tseng insisted that they go back to the apartment and meet the new Turk. Elena pressed her lips together and glared at him, though she didn't argue. They went home. Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

It could only be the new Turk. As Tseng got up to let him in, Elena decided that she wasn't going to accept this replacement as one of their team. Not even if he turned out to be the greatest Turk of all time.

So Elena greeted the beaming, handsome replacement with her most ferocious scowl. The replacement didn't seem taken aback at all, and just held out his hand, introducing himself as Lahk, a shotgun. Elena ignored his hand and scowled more. Tseng frowned at her over Lahk's shoulder, but said nothing and showed Lahk to Reno's room, where he left him to unpack alone. Elena was still scowling when Tseng got back.

"Glad to see you're being so warm and welcoming to our new teammate," Tseng commented dryly. Elena crossed her arms.

"I don't like him."

"That is inconsequential. As a Turk, you must never let anything get in the way of doing your job."

Not long ago, that would have been enough to make Elena wilt and apologize, but not anymore. "Whatever. Now that he's here, can I go help Rude?"

"Fine," Tseng said. "Though you will search alone and send Rude back here to get some rest. Tell him that it is a direct order."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "You think that's going to work?"

"No, I suppose not," Tseng answered, sighing.

Suddenly, Lahk appeared. "Hello," he said, smiling. "I'm done unpacking and I wouldn't mind making dinner for everyone. Is there anything in particular you guys want?"

Elena turned and stomped out of the apartment, slamming the door so hard the frame cracked. Lahk blinked after her in shock. Tseng cleared his throat.

"Don't mind her," he told Lahk. "She just doesn't like...food."

"Oh," Lahk said. "My bad."

Tseng sighed as Lahk started cooking. He could have explained about Reno to Lahk, but it would have been tough to explain. Tseng just had to hope that Elena stopped being so cold to Lahk before he ran out of excuses, or things were going to get really difficult.

xxx

As expected, Rude completely ignored Tseng's order. He and Elena looked all through the night and into the morning, but then Elena had to leave to go to work. Before she did, she wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced at Rude.

"I want to find Reno as badly as you do," she said, "but maybe you should get some sleep."

Rude just shook his head. Elena knew it was useless to argue, so she said goodbye and picked her way out of Sector 7. She could tell that it was going to be a rough day; she was tired and in desperate need of a shower and a change of clothes, not to mention that she was really worried about Rude. If he didn't sleep soon, he would probably collapse.

Elena arrived at Neo-ShinRa, crossed the lobby, and got into the elevator. She bit her lip as she rode up to the Turk's floor, imagining Rude lying unconscious in Sector 7 for hours with no one there to help.

_Stop that,_ she told herself, shaking her head. _Rude can take care of himself._

The elevator doors opened. Elena walked down the hall to her office. She was looking forward to a hot cup of coffee, and she grabbed her mug and headed for the kitchen at the end of the hall.

But when Elena left her office, she bumped into someone, causing them to drop a stack of papers. She was about to apologize, then she saw who it was. The apology died on her lips.

"Hey, sorry about that," Lahk said. "I didn't see you there."

Elena stalked past without a word. She poured herself some coffee and went back to her office. Lahk was still in the hall, having finally picked up all the scattered papers. He gave her a weird look as she walked past. Elena ignored him and just returned to her office. She was too tired to be actively hostile, so she was going to pretend that Lahk didn't exist.

Elena was too busy ignoring Lahk to notice that the papers he'd been carrying were all restricted files about President ShinRa.


	17. Chapter 17

Okay, I sort of rushed through this because I wanted to give you guys an update before I go to the My Chemical Romance concert tomorrow, but I hope you like it!

Bitches Love Reno-Hey there, Emily Babaaaaay! I adore your new username, and I'm glad you loved that last chapter. :]

Caerbear-Oh my goodness, you're making me blush! As much as I love freaking my readers out, (and making them smile), try not to have a heart attack, okay? I'd be really sad if you did. :'[

SniperR-Hello! I'm really glad you decided to give this story a chance, and I'm even more glad that you like it! Thanks very much for the compliments. ^^

gina-Phew! I know I have a tendency to think the explanations and not actually write them, so it's good that I remembered this time! Yeah, Elena's being a bitch, but we all have those days... :]

Chapter Seventeen

Rain was coming down in sheets, chilling Rude to the bone, but what chilled him more were the the screams, which he could hear even over the sounds of thunder.

"Reno?" he yelled. "Where are you?"

There was no answer; just more screaming. Rude ran blindly in the darkness, searching, praying. At last, he found Reno.

Reno was writhing on the ground, clutching his chest, still screaming. Rude ran to Reno's side.

"Reno? What's wrong?"

Reno wouldn't stop screaming, but he opened his eyes. Rude gasped. Reno's eyes had always had a mako-glow, but now they were so bright that Rude had to shade his own eyes.

Mako poisoning.

Rude muttered a curse. He tried to lift Reno off the ground so he could take him to the hospital, but Reno fought him. "Reno! Reno, stop it! I'm trying to help!"

Suddenly, Reno fell limp. Rude looked down, and saw that his eyes were back to normal, but there was dark blood running from Reno's wrists.

"Leave me alone," Reno told him weakly. "Just leave me alone. I'm useless..."

Rude looked around frantically for something to stop the bleeding, but there was nothing except a bloody knife lying in the mud. "You aren't useless," he replied, using his own blazer to wrap Reno's wrists. "You're my best friend."

But Reno hadn't heard him. He was already dead.

xxx

Rude bolted awake, breathing heavily. It took him a moment to realize where he was, then he sighed in relief. He was in Sector 7, looking for Reno. Reno wasn't dead. It was all a dream.

Wincing, Rude got to his feet, sore from lying on the ground. A quick look at his PHS told him that he been unconscious for about two hours. Rude shook his head in annoyance. Some Turk he was. A few nights without sleep and he just passes out. Pathetic.

Though Rude did feel a lot better, and he was able to notice something that he had missed before because he had been too tired: There were footprints in the dust.

Rude knelt down and peered more closely at the footprints. They looked just about the right size to be Reno's.

With his heart in his throat, Rude followed the footprints.

xxx

What now?

That's what Reno kept asking himself as he walked. What now?

Reno scuffed his feet against the sidewalk and sighed. Well, now the Turks would be sent after him, and they would kill him. It wouldn't be anything personal, but they couldn't let him go when he knew so much. It just wasn't their style to leave loose ends.

And it wasn't Reno's style to wait around to be killed.

Reno headed towards Sector 7. He had known that place like the back of his hand before he'd dropped the plate, so he could still find his way around pretty well. Reno went to the streets that he used to haunt and found all the buildings flatter than a pancake, crushed by a chunk of plate.

For a while, Reno stared at it. He didn't feel any remorse; how could he? Growing up in Sector 7 had been awful. He had never told anyone what it had been like or what had happened to him to make him so twisted, though Rude had asked a few times. But that was before he'd dropped the plate. After that, Rude never asked again.

Reno didn't realize he was walking again until he'd come to the playground that had been in the middle of his old territory. Somehow, everything had been destroyed except for one set of swings. Reno walked over and sat down on a swing.

Who the fuck would build a playground in the middle of the slums? It was a question Reno always asked himself, but now he really didn't care about the answer.

In what seemed like a matter of minutes, three days went by. Reno wasn't sure if he slept or not, but sleep didn't seem all that important. Neither did food or water. He felt like he was becoming part of the landscape. Reno often wondered if he was really there at all, and when that happened, he swung a little on the swing, causing the chains to creak and his toes to draw lines in the musty woodchips.

It took a moment for Reno to realize there was someone standing about ten feet behind him. It could only be one person.

"Hey, Rude," Reno said without turning around. "How's it going?"

"Reno." Rude's voice was tired. Reno sighed and looked down at his hands, which were folded in his lap.

"I know ya gotta do it, but...could ya make it quick? For old time's sake?"

Rude stood there for a moment, then he started to walk closer. Reno closed his eyes and braced himself. Any second there would be a bullet in his brain, and then it would be over. Would he even hear the gunshot?

Something soft hit Reno in the back of the head with enough force to knock him off the swing. Reno pushed himself off the ground and grabbed the sweatshirt off the back of his head. This was...his? It had gotten caught on a beam and he'd just left it.

Reno looked up at Rude, confused. Rude stared down at him impassively.

"It's cold," Rude said. "Put that on before you get sick."

Reno's face contorted with rage. "Stop fucking around!" he spat, throwing the sweatshirt across the playground. "Just get it over with!"

Rude sighed. "I'm not here to kill you, idiot."

"...what?"

Reno looked so shocked that Rude laughed. "You really think I could shoot you? Even if it was an order?"

"I don't see why not," Reno said, getting to his feet. Rude scowled.

"You really are an idiot. Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Back to ShinRa," Rude explained, pulling out his PHS. "Rufus wants you assigned to another department."

Reno blinked. He couldn't decide how to feel. On one hand, he was really happy that he wasn't going to be killed, but he also felt sad that he wouldn't be living with the Turks anymore.

As Reno mulled it over, Rude called Tseng to tell him the good news. However, the PHS went right to voicemail. Rude frowned and tried again with the same result.

"Tseng isn't picking up," Rude said.

Reno looked up sharply and locked eyes with Rude. One thing about Tseng was that he _always_ picked up the phone. No matter what.

Something was wrong.


	18. Chapter 18

I know the vote for the ending of this story ended up being for a happy ending, but this is the ending I had in mind. That is not to say that I won't end it happily, I will, but FOR ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE A SAD ENDING, PLEASE STOP READING AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER. Thank you.

NaomiKindle-I appreciate the criticism, but I'm afraid that I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Is there any way you could provide me with an example? Thank you very much for the review!

Reveur rebelle-Short and sweet! Thank you!

Bitches Love Reno-Glad you kept reading. I was debating whether or not to add something about it to the note at the top of the page, so that people didn't stop reading, but then I figured they'd work it out on their own. And of course I like your username! It's fantastic! :D

gina-But scaring you lovely readers is what I do best! Seriously, though, thank you for the review. It made me smile.

Alia Zanetsu-That's awesome! I love when I'm able to give people more updates than they expected! And I really feel bad for Rude in general in this story, possibly even more than I feel bad for Reno...okay, that was a lie, but still! Poor Rude! XD

Chapter Eighteen

Reno and Rude ran the whole way back to Neo-ShinRa. When the building came into sight, Reno half expected to see it in flames.

But everything looked completely fine.

However, as they got closer, Reno saw that there were bodies of SOLDIERs on the ground. He and Rude didn't pause to see if they were alive; they had to find the president. Reno cursed as they ran into the building.

The elevators were off-limits because they were susceptible to tampering, but Reno was willing to take that chance if it meant getting to the action more quickly. Rude seemed to know what he was thinking and hauled him to the stairs. Reno whined about it for a while, but then he had to save his breath.

At the fifty-ninth floor, Reno and Rude finally got out of the stairwell. Even with all of their special training, they were breathing heavily, but they still raced towards the next stairway as stealthily and quickly as they could. While Rude was fumbling for his keycard, they were attacked.

There were about ten of them, wearing black masks and goggles to hide their faces, carrying guns. Reno had no weapons, so he charged at the nearest guy while Rude started shooting. Using the element of surprise, Reno managed to wrestle the gun away from him.

Reno and Rude made short work of the enemy, then they unlocked the door and hurried up even more stairs.

"What the fuck's going on?" Reno panted as they ran.

Rude shook his head. He didn't know.

They fought a few more guys on the way to the top floor, and when they finally got there, they immediately had to dodge gunfire. Reno and Rude instinctively leapt towards opposite sides of the hall and took cover behind the pillars there. They didn't expect that they would have company.

Tseng and Elena had already taken cover behind the pillars. Reno didn't notice until he bumped Elena's shoulder accidentally. She glanced back in surprise.

"Reno?"

He grinned at her, but then more gunfire drew their attention. Reno and Elena were both small enough to be able to fit behind the pillar together, but Tseng and Rude were a bit less fortunate. Even though they were squashed together most unprofessionally, a stray shot clipped Rude's arm.

Finally, the gunfire finally died down enough for them to yell to each other across the hall.

"You okay, par...Rude?"

Rude gave Reno thumbs up. "Never better."

Reno sighed in relief before he looked over at Tseng. "Where's the president?"

"The roof," Tseng replied. "With Dr. Simmons."

"...Dr. Simmons? The shrink?"

"She's trying to assassinate the president," Elena said.

Another storm of gunfire interrupted the conversation and made them cringe back behind the pillars.

"If she's on the roof, who the hell's shooting at us?" Reno asked when everything went quiet again.

"The new Turk, Lahk," Tseng replied. "It appears that he's turned traitor."

Reno stiffened for a moment. When he recovered, his grin was bitter. "Just one guy? Man, you Turks must be losing your touch."

"We've tried getting past him," Elena insisted, "but he's cast a barrier and we can't get close with him shooting at us."

"Stop being so weak, 'Laney." Reno winked at her. "Just leave it to me."

"Reno–"

"Look, they didn't call me the fastest Turk for nothing," he snapped suddenly. "Watch and learn."

Without a moment of hesitation, Reno bolted out from behind the pillar. Tseng, Rude, and Elena started firing at Lahk to try and give Reno cover, but it was pointless because of the barrier. Still, though Lahk shot at Reno over and over, Reno dodged the bullets with impossible skill every time.

And then it was over. Reno made it across the room and dove through the doorway that led to the roof. Lahk swore and shot after him a few more times out of anger, even though there was no chance he would hit Reno now.

Reno collapsed back against the wall, panting. "Fuck..." he muttered shakily.

"Reno, are you okay?" Tseng had to shout to be heard at all. "Reno!"

"Yeah, boss-ma...Tseng," Reno shouted back. "Piece of cake, yo!"

"Good! Go help the president!"

Reno wanted to stay and help the others, and perhaps get a little revenge on Lahk for replacing him, but he started up the ladder to the roof.

A few months earlier, construction had started to make Neo-ShinRa even taller. Reno didn't know about any such thing, so he was slightly alarmed when he got to the end of the ladder and found that the roof was covered with building supplies and scaffolding.

Reno looked around for a moment in confusion, then he heard gunshots and remembered Rufus ShinRa and Dr. Simmons. He tried to draw his EMR as he raced towards them, and cursed when he found it wasn't there. All he had was the gun.

It was better than nothing. Reno lifted the gun to shoot Dr. Simmons, but it was out of bullets. Reno stopped and staring down at it, momentarily at a loss, then he drew his arm back and threw the gun as hard as he could at Dr. Simmons. It hit her in the side of the head and she turned on him with an angry cry. To Reno's surprise, her face was covered with splotches of skin that glowed like mako.

"_You?_" she practically hissed. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Reno grinned. "Don't I know it," he replied. He glanced over at Rufus, who was lying on the ground with a broken leg, his shotgun some twenty feet away. "Get out of here, sir."

Rufus pressed his lips together and replied with a stubborn shake of his head. Dr. Simmons laughed.

"Ever since I told _Mr. President_ that I tried to kill you, he's been in a rather foul mood," she explained. "Though he didn't seem to care when I tried to kill _him._"

"I already know you're the one that switched my missions," Reno replied carelessly.

"Not only that!" Dr. Simmons gave a sudden, maniacal laugh. "I'm the one that got you captured by Neo-Avalanche in the first place!"

Reno was so stunned that he took an involuntary step back. "W...what?"

"Keyl and the others wanted information on ShinRa, so I told them where to find you. When you wouldn't talk, I convinced them to keep you as a pet." Dr. Simmons sneered. "I have to say, you made a wonderful dog."

Before he knew what he was doing, Reno threw himself at Dr. Simmons in a blind rage, intending to rip her apart with his bare hands. No matter what he did, she dodged his attacks.

"What...are...you?" Reno panted, trying as hard as he could to hit her. Dr. Simmons cackled and Reno felt a horrible pain in his stomach that stopped him in his tracks.

"I'm someone whose life was destroyed by ShinRa," she answered, the mako-glow of her face reflecting in Reno's eyes. "Just like you."

Then Dr. Simmons ripped her arm out of Reno's body and let him fall the the ground. Reno could feel the hole in his stomach gushing blood, and he tried desperately to staunch the flow with his hands. Dr. Simmons stood over him and stared, relishing his pain, but then she saw Rufus ShinRa dragging himself towards his gun. She grinned and went to stop him, but something grabbed her ankle.

It was Reno's hand.

"You don't give up, do you?" Dr. Simmons reached down and grabbed Reno by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Reno choked and clawed at her, trying to get free. Dr. Simmons snorted. "Fool."

And she closed her hand tightly around Reno's neck. Reno stiffened, then he stopped struggling, his arms falling limply to his sides. His eyes slipped half-shut and turned glassy.

"Fool," Dr. Simmons repeated, then she tossed him aside. Reno's body flew through the air and smashed into the scaffolding with enough force that it collapsed on top of him. He was buried under an avalanche of planks and steel beams.

Dr. Simmons laughed, but then there was a loud gunshot. Her laugh choked into silence and she rocked back, her eyes wide with pain and surprise. Rufus ShinRa, the barrels of his shotgun smoking, felt a grim satisfaction as she crumpled down, dead, and he let himself sink to the ground.

"Sir!"

Rufus looked over to find Tseng, Rude, and Elena sprinting across the roof towards him. Tseng reached him first and started looking for wounds, but Rufus waved his hand dismissively to show that he was fine.

Rude had bypassed the president and was searching for Reno. His eyes fell on the pile of scaffolding, and he ran over and started tearing it apart frantically, shoving aside steel beams and broken planks of wood, digging deeper and deeper, hoping he was wrong.

Then he uncovered a bloody hand and arm pinned beneath a thick steel beam.

It took all of Rude's strength to heave the beam away, and he felt his insides clench. Reno was lying there, pale and unmoving and clearly dead. Rude checked for a pulse that he knew he wouldn't find, then he numbly removed his fingers from Reno's neck and lifted Reno out of the wreckage. Reno was as light and limp as a rag doll, and he seemed so much younger in Rude's huge arms.

Rude made it out of the rubble and laid Reno gently on flat ground. He didn't notice when Elena and Tseng, supporting Rufus between them, came over and stood beside him. Rude couldn't take his eyes from Reno's face. From the line of red at the corner of Reno's mouth that wound down his jawline or the deep cut on his forehead, which had soaked his tangled hair.

Seeing Reno like this hurt so much, but suddenly, as Rude finally managed to look at the rest of Reno and he saw Reno's civilian clothes, it seemed just so much more unbearable. Reno had given everything to protect them, and still, after all that, he hadn't died a Turk.

Rude was so caught up in his grief that it was a while before he realized that the Lifestream should have come by now to take Reno away. A few minutes later, he knew that it wasn't going to.

And the others knew it, too. Rude looked around to find Elena crying, her face buried in the nearest shoulder, which happened to be Rufus'; Rufus looking down in an uncharacteristic display of guilt; Tseng staring at Reno in disbelieving shock.

Rude swallowed thickly and looked back down at Reno's blank, empty face. How could this happen? Even _Sephiroth_ had gone to the Lifestream. How could Reno be left behind?

But as it was, even The Planet had abandoned him in the end.


	19. Chapter 19

Ahhhhhh! I never thought this day would come! This is the last chapter! Thank you all for sticking with me for so long; you're all amazing! ("Though the hardest part of this is leaving you." ;] )

Bitches Love Reno-I always know I'm doing something right when people start insulting me! Thanks! I'm truly happy that you got so into my story; you always make me feel so quality! Exclamation points, yeah! :D

SniperR-Oh no! Tears! Yeah, I'm kind of happy that I got a chance to include the two different endings. And thank you thank you THANK YOU for catching that mishap I had with the cut and everything. I don't read these over, so whatever I write the first time is what I publish, and sometimes my fingers slip. You are welcome, and now I must thank you again for all of your kind and helpful reviews. Stay awesome.

gina-It's one of the possible endings. Personally, I'm pretty psyched about that one, but you readers did vote for a happy ending, so that's what this chapter is. And no, Reno's definitely dead. Sorry.

jennie300303-Me too! I LOVE sad endings. Thank you for the review! (It made me blush! XD)

alltheangelsinheaven-Yeah, that was pretty awful, wasn't it? Unfortunately, there's no magical solution to Reno's death, but at least Dr. Simmons died too. I appreciate the (very enthusiastic) review! XD

Alia Zanetsu-Oh gosh...is it sick that I'm glad you cried? Probably. I apologize. Hope this chapter cheers you up!

Chapter Nineteen

_Where am I?_

Reno opened his eyes to a world of darkness. It was cold and empty and he had no idea how he'd gotten there. A minute ago he'd been on the roof, and then...

"I'm afraid so."

That voice...it was so familiar. "Ancient?" Reno said, confused. "I mean...Aerith?"

"You remember me," the voice replied, smiling. "I'm so glad."

Reno knew then that what he had suspected was true: he really was dead. It didn't surprise him, and he didn't feel any regret or sadness. But there was one thing bothering him. "I...I'm sorry," he whispered.

"For what?"

"Your flowers. I shouldn't've stepped on them."

There was a laugh. "That's not like you to apologize," another familiar voice piped up. Reno gave a quiet chuckle and closed his eyes.

"Zack too, huh? Never got you those letters, man, but with you two here together, I guess it all turned out okay after all."

Reno suddenly felt Aerith's cool, soft hand brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "You're different than I remember," she commented. "I thought you might be."

Aerith's hand was growing warm. Reno felt the warmth spread down through his body, making him tired. "What's going on?" he asked, suddenly groggily.

"It isn't your time yet, Turk," Zack told him. Reno felt a strong hand on his shoulder. "Stay out of trouble."

Reno gave a sleepy laugh. "You don't know me very well, do you?" he slurred.

Then everything faded away.

xxx

When Reno woke up, he found that he was back on the roof looking up at the sky. He could hear someone crying nearby, and he realized they were crying for him. It wasn't right, Reno thought, to have someone wasting tears like that.

"Hey," he said hoarsely, "stop it."

Elena gasped. "R-reno? You're alive!"

Reno sat up slowly with a groan. "Yeah," he replied. "Though I dunno how–"

Without warning, Reno was crushed in a hug by Rude and Elena, who had dragged Tseng and Rufus down with her. Rufus at least had the excuse of his broken leg, but Reno was surprised when Tseng didn't immediately untangle himself. Reno repressed his natural instinct to make a joke and kept quiet, not wanting to ruin the moment.

At last, Tseng cleared his throat and pulled away, taking Rufus and Elena with him. Rude helped Reno to his feet, then he asked the question on everyone's mind:

"How?"

Reno explained about Aerith and Zack and how they sent him back. "It sounds nuts," Reno admitted, "but since I'm all healed and breathing and stuff, I guess it must've been real."

"Did they say why they did it?" Rufus asked.

Reno shrugged. "Just said that it wasn't my time."

Everyone was quiet for a minute, then Reno spoke up.

"Hey, whatever happened to that Lahk guy?"

"Dead," Tseng answered.

"That's a damn shame, yo."

Reno somehow managed to keep a straight face. Suddenly, Rufus sighed. "Well, it appears we have an opening for a new Turk," he said. He turned to Reno, a small smile on his lips. "Any suggestions?"

Reno grinned.

Everything was going to be okay.

The End


	20. Author's Note

Author's Note

Hello again. It's been a while. Actually, no, it hasn't. But that is not the point.

I'm here because I wanted to mention two things.

1. I edited most of the previous chapters so they're not so much with the suckiness. Everything's basically the same, but little tweaks here and there just to make it flow better.

2. I fixed my settings so those that wanted to private message me can. (No creepers, please. I'll sic the cyber police on you, and consequences will never be the same. Points for anyone who gets the reference.)

All righty then. I'm done babbling.

Thanks again, everyone!

Sincerely,

Exxal


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